How to Show Rental Properties Efficiently

It’s amazing how something as simple as showing a property can become incredibly time consuming and complicated. Here are some tips and tricks to help you streamline the process and work more efficiently. Time is money! And these tips will save you both.

1: Choose an evening, weekend or preferably, both.

I like to give tenants two options in case they have prior commitments or work. I typically show on either a Thursday, Friday or Monday evening, and Saturday or Sunday. Most people will be able to make one of these times work for them. Try not to leave several days in between showing days, however. Aim to hold them one, and no more than two days apart, so you're not leaving interested parties waiting for a response as to whether their application was successful. Waiting several days also allows prospects time to move onto another unit and you may lose out on your ideal tenants. When it comes to housing, especially in today's market, choices are limited and many people don't have the luxury of waiting.

2: Show the unit to anyone who is interested in viewing it.

I always recommend showing the unit to anyone who wants to see it to avoid being accused of discrimination. Even if you are confident they are not the ideal tenants for you, show them anyway and provide them with an application if they request one. You can turn them away after the application process by simply saying "We decided to go with other tenants". It is recommended to never offer any additonal information as to why.

3: Book showings back-to-back, every 10-15 minutes.

Unless you are showing a particularly large property, 10-15 minutes is usually enough time for a showing. I like to book them quickly and back-to-back because:

a) there are always no-shows which will allow you time to catch up if you are running over the allotted times

b) if there is a no-show, you are not sitting around waiting for a half hour (or more) until your next showing

c) it gives prospective tenants a sense of urgency to see others viewing the property as well

4: Require a confirmation via text, call or email the day of the showing.

When booking a showing, inform the prospective tenants that you require a confirmation text/email/call the morning of the showing and that without a confirmation, you will consider the appointment cancelled. This is especially important if you only have their single showing booked and you don't live at the property. A significant percentage of booked showings end up as no-shows so this practice will limit the amount of time and travel wasted for you on showing days. If you have several appointments booked, you can then try to move the others around and compress your showings. Time is money, and so is gas, and no one wants to waste either unnecessarily.

5: If allowing dogs, ask them to bring their dogs with them.

Asking prospective tenants to bring their dogs to the showing is especially important if the property you are leasing is not a single-family dwelling. This is the time to determine if the dog is friendly or not. Yours and your other tenants safety should always be of the utmost importance to you and having aggressive dogs in your units is never a good idea. While just meeting the dog once will not guarantee the dogs temperment, it is a great place to start.

6: Ask interested parties to request an application via email after their showing.

Most people like to be nice. The unit will not be right for everyone but human nature makes it difficult for people to say "I'm not interested" to your face. Instead, they will request an application and then just stop responding to you. Rather than taking the time to get every showings email, compose an email, attach the application and hope for a response, simply tell each showing to go home, think about it, and if they are still interested to send you an email requesting the application. Have interested parties do as much of the work as possible, rather than you doing unnecessary work for people who aren't interested anyway.

7: Send applications via email.

While it is good practice to have a few printed copies of your application at the showing for those less technologically inclined, try to stick to online applications. It just makes life easier for everyone involved.

Happy renting!